Cardiff Met artists exhibit at iconic city venue

​EMERGING artists based at Cardiff Metropolitan University have been given the chance to exhibit their work in one of Cardiff's iconic Victorian Arcades.

Members of Cardiff School of Art and Design's Creative Exchange Network will be presenting a pop-up exhibition of locally-produced artworks at 12 High Street, High Street Arcade in the centre of Cardiff until the end of the day on Saturday.

Members of the public are free to attend and view the works on display, as well as take part in workshops and talks from artists from a diverse range of backgrounds, ages, experience and practice. The event has been supported by the 'ARTcade accessible art initiative' at the Castle Quarter Arcades and Cardiff Metropolitan University's Career Development Services.

Artists exhibiting at the event include Ruby Fox, whose work in this exhibition focuses on playful intrigue into the perception of symbols in her environment, such as seeing trees as mythical beings with multiple eyes, or a discarded umbrella as an insect.

Deidre Bennett is sharing her work 'Roots in the Community,' which is a participatory arts project. She is inviting the public to engage within the exhibition space to make trees from recycled materials to create a city forest.

Terhi Sallinen is a Finnish artist working with many mediums, including painting and installation, and is currently studying MA Art History at Cardiff School of Art and Design. In this particular exhibition Terhi uses film, photography and camera obscura to alter the viewing process of the audience and allow them to take a more active part in it.

The Creative Exchange is a creative network of students and graduates from Cardiff Met School of Art and Design, whose aims are to develop a capacity for dialogue, interaction and exchange of ideas between students, graduates and the wider community.

Esyllt George, a Career Adviser at Cardiff Met, who has helped co-ordinate the exhibition, said: "This has been an amazing experience for me and the students involved. The concept developed from a group I started for Cardiff Met's creative students and graduates, aimed at helping develop self confidence and motivation in situations outside university.

"We have received great feedback from members of the public about the exhibition, with many mentioning how important it is to have creative arts spaces in the city centre and the value of developing relationships between the University and local community."